Rain lightly falling from the grey sky, thunder cracking in the distance; an average stormy day. The girl walked along the sidewalk, head bent and arms crossed, trying to keep dry without an umbrella during the torrent of water. Ducking under the overhang, she carefully maneuvered down the stairs and into the crowded subway. Warm, wet bodies pressed against her and soon she wished she had stayed outside in the freezing cold rain instead of taking cover in the humid pack of people. The loud screech of an approaching train was the only noise that could be heard over the shouts and echoing calls of the people. Grimacing, she tried to slide past an older boy smoking along with his friends in a tight circle. He reeked of filth and smoke and looked like the only shower he had had in weeks was from the downpour outside. Turning, he balanced the cigarette between his lips and, with his other free hand, caught the girl by her arm. Her head whipped around, swatting the shoulders of others with her dark colored hair which dripped with water. “‘Ey, cutie,” the boy’s grimy voice choked with smoke cooed to her, disgustingly smooth. She wrenched her arm away and slid through the masses again, getting closer to the train. Horny idiot, she thought with vile anger, face flushed with heat and embarrassment. As she reached the loading platform for the train, she felt the same hand grab her elbow once more. The train, now loaded to capacity, closed its doors and whizzed out of sight; though some people had left, the subway station was still suffocating with people. “Don’t run away,” the boy cooed once more, bringing his face closer to her’s. His mustache was oily and nasty, with pieces of some old food clinging to the curly and wispy hairs. “Let me go,” the girl growled, barely heard over the roar of voices. Unable to hear her, he went to grab her waist, fingers strong and repulsive. She instinctively shoved back, freeing herself from his perverted stare and unpleasant grasp. Wind rushed through her ears; time seemed to slow as the ground left her feet and she floated in space, suddenly only able to see the ceiling where cables connected to the tunnel. The ground collided with her back, knocking the air from her lungs and causing a silent scream. The subway rails cut into her back and drew blood, and when she could grab a breath, she screamed. People looked over the platform and cried out, the boy had vanished to escape accusation. The cries of the people looking down at her cut and winded body was drowned out by the louder cry of the subway train, rushing to meet her.
Homura & Ziral: “Whatever,” she muttered, and turned away from the scene. Her male shadow followed unquestioningly and without comment, though she knew he could sense her confusion and fear with the whole situation. She remembered how it felt like to be in the person’s shoes- to meet death, only to open her eyes to life again. It didn’t make sense, and frankly, it scared her. What did her family think? She hadn’t seen them since her “accident”, and hadn’t contacted them either. After colliding with the train head first, she awoke in her bed. At first, she had thought it was a dream, but the man standing in front of her closed bedroom door only erased that idea. He was tall, lean, and actually kind of handsome. His hair was lengthy and pure white, which was a startling contrast compared to his young face. She remembered when she had seen his eyes. Pure red. They had glistened in the sun beams streaming from her window. Crimson and beautiful. Though she had no feelings towards him (and how could she after what he had told her?), she couldn’t deny that he was good looking. Recovering from her surprise, she cleared her throat and asked softly, “what happened…?” She remembered the train. She remembered the nothingness. So why was she alive now? He seemed surprised that she could remember such traumatic events, but his impassive face soon masked his further emotions. “You’re alive again, sort of,” he began, as if not having prepared an explanation, “I brought you back. I guess- how else do I put it?- you and I, we’re going to have to get along for a while.” He continued on to explain that he had brought her back to life by phenomenal means. Basically, he was as in the dark as she. But after explaining his purpose, which was clouded as well, she came to the conclusion that life would not be the same anymore. If you could call it life. He had explained to her that her parents thought of her as being dead, and that facing them again after they had buried her would not have been smart. Taking his advice, she let him take her from her memorable and clean home and plant her in some dingy apartment where the sink leaked loudly and questionable stains peeked out from inside the carpet. A lovely upgrade. He did something surprising though, after this transition, without any introduction. Tired as she still was, he told her to close her eyes and relax. She did as he said (what more was she suppose to do?) and soon found herself asleep. But he did something while she was asleep. He took her to another world. Something that was opposite of the mirror of life. Things were similar, but different. It had been painful, the tremors that her body had gone through as the boy had touched and suddenly “dragged” her into darkness, and the flashing light that met her soon enough was blinding. In her first moments, she hadn’t seen a lot. Just tried to deal with the burning sensation manifesting in her very being. His arms hadn’t exactly been around her, but she had felt his presence supporting her. In the few short glimpses she had caught, Homura had seen that girl. The one leaving the apartment without a door. Soon enough, however, she was abruptly back in her room, seated on her bed. The boy looked roughed up and exhausted, hair a tousled mess and breathing faster than normal. With his impassive face, he hadn’t explained much other than, “that’s the afterlife.” Before she could ask any more, he regained his composure and went on to explain his presence. Homura’s thoughts had lead her outside, where the boy, Ziral as he introduced to her, took the lead and crossed the street. She followed with her hands in her pockets, long dark hair rising up in the air and whipping across her face. She made it across the street and joined Ziral, who preferred to walk precariously fast, as if he enjoyed making Homura’s heart race with effort. The white haired boy entered the store and held the door open for Homura, who entered without so much as a glance to Ziral. “Thanks,” she mentioned mentally, now taking the lead and heading for the food section of the small, “we've got everything” type of store. She heard Ziral give a small noise of comprehension and continued to walk down the aisle.
Atsuko:*Bumps into Homura* Hey watch where yo-, oh Homura, uh…. *Blushes* Watch where you’re going okay? *Walks away*
Homura & Ziral: Startled by the sudden collision, Homura gave a squeak which prodded Ziral into shoving her back and taking a step in front of her. His crimson eyes narrowed into slits as he looked Atsuko over before responding. “How about you watch where you’re going, ass.” His tone was cold and harsh, exceedingly so when given that the situation was one of more simple terms. Homura, embarrassed more than she was startled now, stepped forward to speak up, eyes wide with apology. “I-I’m so sorry!” was all that she could cough out. Her face burned with the desire to run and hide and to forget about this world shattering event. She couldn’t believe that Ziral had been so rude! What an ass himself.
Mr. Fluffywovemitten: Excuse me Ziral, I’m going to ask you to be less of a jerk face to my friend.
Homura & Ziral: He faced Mr. Whatever and, for Homura’s sake (she looked like she was about to puke out her horror), resisted the urge to unleash himself and tear this passive-aggressive turtle to shreds. Giving a grunt, he took Homura by the arm and headed back down the aisle, turning to the left and entering the school supplies section. She trembled and wrenched her arm from him. “Why did you do that?” she asked in an incredulous tone, eyes wide. She couldn’t understand why he had done such an aggressive thing. Maybe this is who he is, her personal thoughts reminded her, you haven’t known him for long. Giving a frustrated sigh to his lack of response, she left him looking confused and frustrated as well. He was angry with her, but for the opposite reason. Why had she been so submissive? In his mind, the only thing to do when provoked is to fight, so why hadn’t she? I hope she comes with a manual. Ziral watched her disappear into the frozen foods section and followed. Even if she hated him, they would have to get along eventually.
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